Irsay wants improvement from Colts’ special teams

With one of the most special quarterbacks in NFL history gone, the Colts’ effort to become competitive post-Peyton will focus on the improvement of their special teams.

“That is really a priority to Mr. Irsay,” Colts G.M. Ryan Grigson told Phil Richards of the Indianapolis Star. “That’s something I really, really was striving for every day with building this roster. That’s something I really want evident from Day One.

“I want to see guys screaming down the field. You’ve got to have 11 guys with a couple screws loose and they’ve got to run down like their hair’s on fire.”

During Sunday night’s preseason game against the Steelers, the Colts’ special teams held the Steelers inside the 20 on three kickoffs, making tackles at the 19, the 14, and the 13.

“You just look at the statistics, if you’ve got to go 80 yards on offense, you’re only going to score [a touchdown] 15 percent of the time,” coach Chuck Pagano said.

As the Colts chop the roster from 90 to 53 players, the guys who will hold their spots at the bottom of the roster will be those who can contribute the most on special teams.

“Rubber meets the road on the back end of the roster,” Pagano said. “If two guys are in a dead heat, it comes down to who’s a core ‘teamer,’ who has more value on special teams.”

Voiceofreason… You are in the VERY small minority that thinks Luck could be a bust. He’s been running a pro style offense for most of his football life, comes from a football pedigree and has been one of the most dissected QB Prospects in the modern era for a reason.

A “reasonable” person would say Luck and RG3 could both have solid careers with very different QB styles, but unfortunately “reason” is in short supply these days especially but msg board posters.

History in the NFL shows that pocket passers with size, accuracy, brains, and arm strength have a higher upside potential and less risk than QBs whose main asset is scrambling/speed. It’s a changing game so there is no reason RG3 can’t make that style thrive, but injury concerns and the ever increasing speed of defenders somewhat negates the benefit of a scrambling QB.

If anything RG3 should be compared to Cam Newton, not Luck. Style of play is more of a direct link between players than draft class should ever be.